Always Have, Always Will
by bethanyjaynex
Summary: Ezra left Rosewood after recieving the dreaded text from Aria. Now she's a senior and the masked dance is just a little while away; will her one true love return or will he stay in her past forever? One-shot please R&R! -I dont own anything-


**Hellooo everyone! Before you read, can you do me a favour? Pleaseee go follow Saarahh_RC & I'll love you forever! She beta read for me on this one-shot. It's the first fanfic that I've had a beta reader for, so I hope it's somewhat better than my usual drabble. Please review too and tell me what you thought of it, it makes my day:] Enjoy!**

8 Days till the Dance:

"What do you mean you're not going?" Hanna asked, shocked at what her best friend had just revealed.

"Exactly that; I'm not going, Han. Besides, I have nobody to go with." Aria Montgomery and Hanna Marin, both seniors now, were sat outside Rosewood Day eating the lunch they had just bought from the school cafeteria. It was Friday; chicken day, but whatever was in the gelatinous concoction they were eating didn't taste anything like it. They were discussing Hanna's outfit options for the Christmas dance when Aria had dropped the bombshell.

"I thought that a junior had asked you? I'm sure the offer would still be open..." Hanna's voice trailed off as Noel Kahn approached the pair. He was dressed in an open plaid short-sleeved shirt, showing a white tee underneath. He sauntered up to them, and turned to face Aria as if she were alone at the table.

"Oh. Hi, Noel." She said distractedly. Ever since Noel had found out about her and Ezra's relationship that night in the woods, Aria had been a little dubious about him. When she had broken up with Ezra, he had been always close by to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay; it was clear that he liked her. However, much as she tried, she just couldn't forget what he had been capable of doing. He had tried to bribe her boyfriend into giving him a good grade just so that no one would find out about the relationship. But there was one more thing... she still loved Ezra. With each passing day, Aria felt more remorse than the previous. Although she had been furious and distraught that night in the apartment, telling him to leave had been her biggest regret in life.

**-Flashback- **

It was nearing nightfall in Rosewood, PA and over in Apartment 3B Ezra Fitz and Aria were having a perfect night in. He had finished at Hollis College for the weekend and had returned home to a lovely meal cooked by his girlfriend of just over nine months. They had overcome many trials and tribulations in their months of being together, but they had come out strong. They were happier than ever before and were looking forward to a night together. The two were now sat on the dark leather couch, his arm draped around her shoulder holding her close to his chest. The television was displaying scenes from a chick flick that Aria had took a shine to. Secretly, Ezra hated films like these. They all had happy endings where the main character fell in love and they walked off into the sunset holding hands; it was all too unrealistic. Ezra was a realist, he knew that life was hard and that no one ever had a happy ending unless they were living in a fairytale. Heck, he'd learnt that just from falling in love himself. If there was anything to be learnt from a student teacher relationship, it was that you should savour every moment of life and work your hardest to keep it upheld. On his chest, the feeling of Aria's breathing became slow yet powerful, it was clear to him that she was drifting off, so he decided it would be best for both of them to relocate to the double bed that was against the far wall.

"Aria, honey, we should probably go to sleep on the bed; I'm not a huge fan of backache on a Saturday morning."

"Mmm..." She sleepily rose to her feet and went over to the bed, flopping down onto its softness.

"I'll just be a sec," Ezra walked over to the bathroom, retrieving his PJs from beside Aria on his way.

Whilst he was in the bathroom, Aria decided to remove her makeup and brush her hair. She was just about to swipe the black eyeliner from her tired eyelids when a loud knock came at the door. She ignored it, thinking that Ezra should probably answer it since she wasn't actually supposed to be in her former English teacher's apartment, but after knocking a second time he still didn't emerge from the bathroom. Dropping the makeup wipe on the arm of the couch as she went, Aria walked over to the door...who she saw when she opened it was the person she had least expected.

"Jackie?"

"Hi...Aria, right? Is Ezra in?"

Jackie looked uneasy stood in front of Aria, like she hadn't expected her to be there. "He's just in the bathroom. Why are you here?" She was suddenly nervous for the answer. She trusted Ezra, but what would his ex-fiancé be doing at his apartment late on a Friday night? Something had to be going on...

"I just need to see him. Can I come in?"

_Cheeky cow_, Aria thought as she opened the door wider. She could hardly leave her outside; it wasn't her apartment in the first place.

"Aria?" There was a voice floating through the suddenly quiet apartment. It grew closer to where Aria and Jackie stood till Ezra appeared before them, wearing just the pj bottoms.

"Ezra, why is she here?" Aria asked, a serious glare replacing her fatigued look from before. She didn't give him time to answer and carried on, almost as if they were alone in the room. "I'm going to ask you one simple question and you better tell me the truth: are you or are you not having an affair with...her?" She pointed distastefully at Jackie, who stood anxiously between the two.

"Where's this coming from? Aria, I'd never cheat on you and you know that!"

"Oh yeah, so why is she here?"

"Guys, I am in the room you know. I didn't mean to cause anything, I just wanted to drop by and-"

"Honestly, Aria. You've got it all wrong! Jackie is just-"

They were both cut off by Aria's monotonous but clear instructions, "Go to hell."

In the days following, Ezra had repeatedly tried to call and text her but much to his dismay, he was ignored. That was until one simple text message was received on that Wednesday evening.

_Go away, Ezra. I don't want to see you ever again...just leave. -Aria._

No kisses, no smileys, just a text. However, this text was a lot different to ones in the past. This one signified the end. It was the violent end to their violent delight. Less than 24 hours after receiving the text, Ezra had packed up and left Rosewood, forever trying to convince himself that it was what both he and Aria needed. He had thought they were soul mates; he must have been wrong.

-**End Flashback-**

"So, I was wondering if you were going to the masked dance next week." He smiled, making Aria remember all the times she had dreamt about that same smile. He had been her crush freshman year, back when everything was simple: no dead best friend, no creepy stalker and definitely no student teacher relationship.

"Well, actually I was going to sit this one out. I'm not really sure that this one is for me."

Noel turned to Hanna, seemingly recognising her presence for the first time. "She's kidding, right?" he asked, sure that Aria would not miss out on something like that.

Hanna shrugged in reply, "I've been trying to tell her. She's adamant on not going."

His face fell a little and he turned back to Aria. "Okay... Just tell me if you change your mind, ok?"

"Of course, Noel."

Noel said goodbye and trudged back over to his friends who were no doubt eagerly awaiting some gossip.

"You know, you two would make a really cute couple!" Hanna rambled. "I was reading this magazine yesterday about perfect matches and how to find your soul mate and you guys_ totally _ fit the bill. I don't know why-"

"Han!" Aria interrupted, getting slightly annoyed with the topic of conversation.

"What? I was just saying..."

"Yeah well don't, okay? I'm... I'm not ready for someone."

Hanna's face changed from one of defence to a more caring expression. "You still love him, don't you?" She hadn't said a name, but they both knew who they were talking about. Until now, the topic of the split had been constantly avoided in conversation. Spencer, Emily and Hanna were all slightly worried that if they even mentioned his name, Aria would spin out of control. "Look, Aria. I understand what you're going through- minus the whole teacher thing- and I'm always going to be here if you need to talk. Just remember that."

The bell rang signalling the end of lunch and both girls stood from their seats. "Thanks, Han. I miss him, I really do. I just wish that I could go back to how things used to be; sending that text was the worst thing I ever did." Silence had struck the pair for a while as they made their way through the hustle and bustle of hallways till Aria spoke again, "What do we have now? I totally can't remember."

There was a slight hesitation before Hanna replied, "English."

5 Days till the Dance:

Aria tossed and turned violently, trying to make sense of the dream she was having. In it, she was standing in the hallway of the DiLaurentis' old house. Through the small windows in the door, she could see Ezra's car slowly driving away. With it, he was taking her heart. She was searching frantically for a key to unlock the door. She was running out of time. She hurriedly checked all the places that Ali had told her they kept their safe items. Under the floorboard just to the left of the staircase, in the kitchen behind the cookie jar, on the top of the door frame leading to the dining room; there was no key to be found. She took one last glance at the departing car and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She would never be able to kiss those beautiful lips of his again. She would never feel the security of his strong arms around her waist. She would never feel the same warmth and adoration again as she had felt for him...

Aria awoke, startled by the shrill ringing of her alarm clock. It was supposed to play Ron Pope's "A Drop in the Ocean", but the darn thing hadn't worked in years. She turned it off and sat up in bed; close to tears. It was a recurring dream she had been having; always in Ali's house, never being able to stop him from leaving. Aria checked her phone for messages; it was today that she was going dress shopping with Hanna, Spencer and Emily. 0 messages, just as she had anticipated. She slogged over to her mirror and looked at the messed up girl she was. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair lay limp and dry on her shoulder. Ever since Ezra left Aria had started to take less and less care of herself. Her Sunday nights that used to consist of a cool shower and a face mask were now clouded by homework she had failed to do throughout the week, the usually neat and tidy bedroom she took pride in now more disorganised than ever. Her life had fallen apart in the months he had been gone. All along, he had been the glue that kept her together, and now the cracks were showing.

Aria combed her brunette hair, applied makeup to her pale face and dressed in jeans and a sweater. Just as she was walking out the door, he mom stopped her.

"Aria, are you okay?" It seemed like Ella had wanted to ask this for a while from the nervous expression on her face.

"Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"It's just...you've been really distant for a while now. And I was speaking to Mr Malone yesterday and your grades are really slipping. What's going on, Aria? You know you can talk to me," she moved closer to Aria and looked her in the eyes, something she only did to check Aria was telling truth. "About anything, ok?"

Aria tried desperately to hold eye contact with her mom, but was failing largely. She tried to cover it by rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, a sign that she was nervous. "Yeah, sure thing, mom. Look I gotta go. I'll speak to you later."

"Wait a second, Aria. Here," she handed her some notes, to which Aria looked surprised. "Get something nice to wear to the dance."

"Mom, I'm not going. I don't have anyone to go with..." She lied, hoping that her mom hadn't seen Noel ask her just days before.

Leaving the notes crumpled in Aria's hand, Ella simply turned and left the room. Even if Aria didn't buy an outfit for the dance, she wouldn't mind. She knew that something was bothering her daughter and she just hoped that whatever it was would fix itself before things got too serious.

Aria had arranged to meet her friends in the local boutique: Sally's. When she arrived, the three were dressed in dresses they had been trying on, waiting for Aria's arrival.Spencer: midnight blue with silver detailing; Hanna: a light turquoise colour with gemstones and Emily: a simple LBD that looked great on her.

Aria walked up behind them slowly, admiring all of the beautiful gowns on the racks. She could hear the girls murmuring about something or other.

"I was speaking to him last night and...yeah... It's going to be so sweet... I know right, she has to come... Totally." It was Hanna, but who was she talking about?

"Oh, Aria!" Spence was surprised to see her and looked flustered; had they been talking about her? "Um, come and sit down."

Aria sat on one of the couches the store had and looked at the three girls, who were looking nervous and excited at the same time. "What's up with you three today? Bit too much sugar on your cereal?" She joked, which was met by nervous laughs all around.

Spencer spoke up, "So, as you best friends, we decided that you are coming to the dance whether you like it or not."

"But I don't have any money," she lied, hoping the notes her mom had given her this morning weren't sticking out of her back pocket. This was another side effect of Ezra leaving; Aria was finding herself lying at an increasing rate.

"Pur-lease. We know your mom gave you some this morning. She always does." Han stated.

"Fine, I'll give you that one...but I don't have anyone to go with."

"Well, that's where we come in. You're amazing best friends have all ditched their dates and decided to go in a friendship group."

"Well what-"

"Aria; you are going to this dance. Capiche?" Hanna said firmly, though falsely pronouncing 'capiche' as 'capeach' making the girls giggle.

"Fine. Capiche."

She slowly got up to wander round the store for a dress when suddenly she was being pushed back down by a ton of coat hangers bearing gowns so beautiful that they probably cost a fortune.

"We thought ahead, go on then!" Emily said, shoo-ing her off to the dressing rooms. She was just looking at her current dress in the mirror when she could hear them talking outside again.

"No, we have to be there by 7..."

"He'll be there at 6..."

"I can't wait to see them!"

"It's going to be so good..."

"This would look nice on her..."

Aria pulled back the curtain separating her from them and spoke, "Guys, I can hear you whispering from in here. What are you talking about, who's going to be there at 6?"

All three of them stuttered until Hanna suggested a reason, "we were, uh, talking about...Caleb! I'm sorry. I didn't tell him about our whole 'girls only' group."

Aria looked relieved, at least they weren't setting her up with someone, she wasn't ready for that. "It's fine, Han. If you want to go with Caleb then it's no problem. You told Toby and Maya though, right?" She turned to look at Emily and Spencer.

"Yeah, of course we did." They both said in sync with one another. Something was going on with the girls, but whatever it was Aria wasn't going to get involved. She'd had enough drama going on to last a lifetime.

"So... How do you like this one?" She moved her hands to her hips and posed as if she were at a magazine shoot. "I like it, but I don't know if it's too long. I usually go for the shorter ones, you know."

"It looks perfect!"

"Beautiful!"

"You'll blow him away!" They all gushed at the same time.

"Han... Blow _him _away? What's going on?"

Spence and Emily turned to stare at Han, urging her to keep her mouth shut. "Did I say him? I meant them... You'll blow them away."

"Hmmm" she turned back into the dressing room to change back into her original clothing before they all went for a coffee.

Night of the dance:

"Aria, honey, the girls are here!" Ella shouted up to her daughter, who was sliding the last hairgrip into her loosely curled side bun. She sprayed it with hairspray before descending the staircase with care, clutch in her hand.

"Where are they?" She asked her mom, astonished to see the hallway empty.

"They're waiting out in the limo. Have a nice time, sweetie," she wrapped her thin arms around her, "you look beautiful." She smiled and held the door open, showing Hanna, Emily & Spencer smiling through the wound-down window. Just then, she had a flashback to less than a year before when she had gone to the gallery with Ezra. It had been the best evening of her life; from the ride there in the limo to the moment she got home. It had been perfect.

"C'mon, Aria! It's nearly 7!" Emily shouted from the limo, breaking Aria's trail of thought. She walked over and got in, seated next to Hanna and Emily.

Close to arriving at the school, Spencer's phone bleeped with a message. Careful to not let Aria see, she read the text and smiled.

"Everything ok, Spence?" Aria asked, suspicious of Spencer's actions.

"Yes. Everything is just perfect!" She smiled broadly at the three girls.

Once they were inside they all put on their masks and started to dance wildly on the dance floor. Although she was having a good time, Aria couldn't help but wonder what her friends were up to. She had already asked them what was going on, and they had said nothing, but she knew her suspicions had to be correct.

The dance went by so quickly that before they knew it the last dance was nearing. Just as a song finished, the DJ on stage silenced the crowd and started to speak through the microphone.

"Everyone, it seems that there is a very important message that needs to be delivered to one of you," everyone stopped and looked around, "Aria Montgomery?

We have a very special message for you from someone named...B-26."

Aria gasped and locked her gaze on the tall masked man approaching the right side of the stage. When he reached the DJ, he took the microphone and started to talk.

"Aria," he started. It couldn't be, could it? It sounded like Ezra... "It's been six months since we last spoke. I just want you to know that every single moment we've been apart has been like hell for me." The group had dispersed now, creating a clear pathway between Aria and the mysterious man on stage. The only people that remained were Aria's friends who were stood together at her side smiling proudly. "Before I left, you were the only person that really knew me. You were the reason that I got up in the morning, the reason that I did anything. That first night in the bar, I didn't know it at the time, but I met my soul mate. I know I did, because without you my life has crumbled. Right now, right here, I'm putting the pieces back together."

Ezra slowly walked off stage and over to Aria, who was doing the same. They met in the middle and Ezra dropped the microphone on the floor, taking her hands in his as he spoke softly.

"That night, it was a complete misunderstanding. Jackie was there to drop off some files from Hollis. I don't love her, Aria. I haven't in a long time..."

They rested their foreheads together and Aria closed her eyes, savouring the moment. "I'm sorry for sending that text. I should have let you explain."

He raised a finger to her face and lifted her chin to look him in the eyes. "I love you, Aria. I always have. I always will."

As he leaned in to kiss her, music slowly started to drift from the speakers and couples around them gathered to slow dance. It was exhilarating; they were in public and, most importantly, they were together. His hands found her hips after they pulled back and for the first time in six months, they both felt whole again.

_A drop in the ocean,  
>A change in the weather,<br>I was praying that you and me might end up together.  
>It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert,<br>But I'm holding you closer than most,  
>'Cause you are my heaven.<br>You are my heaven_

_{A Drop in the Ocean- Ron Pope.}_

**I really enjoyed writing this One-Shot, even if it did take me over a week haha. R&R Please! I'll give you some cookies if you do... ;]**

**xo, Bethany**


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